Kash Patel Rips Biden Over Afghan Refugee Shooting in DC

FBI Director Kash Patel delivered a blistering rebuke of the Biden administration Tuesday night, calling the deadly shooting of two National Guard soldiers by an Afghan national in Washington, D.C., an “emblematic failure” of the president’s border and immigration policies.

Appearing on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Patel warned that the November 26 shooting was not just a tragic incident but a direct result of Biden’s reckless, unvetted mass migration from Afghanistan after the administration’s catastrophic 2021 withdrawal.

“The problem with this case shows the emblematic failure of the Biden administration to vet anyone who came here from Afghanistan,” Patel said.

The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, has now been charged with four counts, including murder, by the Justice Department. He is accused of opening fire on two National Guard members just blocks from the White House, killing U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and leaving U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, in critical condition.

Lakanwal, who was admitted to the U.S. under Biden’s chaotic post-withdrawal refugee program, is being held without bond, as questions mount over how someone with alleged terror links was ever allowed into the country.

According to a September 2022 DHS Inspector General report, U.S. Customs and Border Protection “did not always have critical data to properly screen, vet, or inspect” the evacuees brought in during the Afghanistan pullout.

Patel didn’t mince words. He described the attack as part of a “sprawling international terrorism investigation,” with the FBI already executing multiple legal actions, searching residences, and analyzing digital evidence tied to Lakanwal.

“We are not going to leave any stone unturned,” Patel declared. “We are going to vet every single person that came in here legally or illegally or otherwise and make sure there is no derogatory or criminal information or terrorist ties.”

This is the exact nightmare many national security experts warned about during Biden’s botched withdrawal. Tens of thousands of Afghans entered the United States with little to no vetting, and now, the consequences are playing out in deadly fashion in the streets of our own capital.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Monday that DHS will overhaul the vetting process for migrants and refugees, including new biometric data requirements and social media screening.

“We are requiring the country of origin to cross-reference biometric data and criminal history,” Noem posted on X. “We’re expanding our vetting and directing individuals to check in annually.”

But for Spc. Beckstrom’s family, that’s too little, too late.

This isn’t an isolated incident. Just days before the DC shooting, another Afghan refugee was arrested for a terroristic threat in Texas, after posting a video on TikTok threatening to build a bomb and target the Dallas-Fort Worth area. That man, Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, was also resettled in the U.S. under Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome.

The pattern is undeniable:

• Mass unvetted migration from a war zone

• Failure to screen for terror links

• American lives lost or endangered

And yet the media and Democratic leadership continue to downplay the threat, focusing instead on avoiding “backlash” against refugee communities rather than protecting Americans from preventable violence.

Patel’s call to action is clear: Biden’s failure is no longer theoretical it’s costing lives.

“This is the consequence of policy that prioritizes politics over national security,” Patel said.

As the investigation continues and more details emerge, it’s becoming evident that President Trump’s hardline policies were not extreme they were necessary. Biden unraveled them, and now Americans are paying the price.

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